Users’ Perspectives on Primary Care and Public Health Services in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study with Implications for Healthcare Quality Assessment

Igor F. L. Ferraz, Mariana C. Raimundo, Natalia M. A. M. Barros, Jhoyce S. Souza, Barbará M. V. Lucio, Thiago P. Tenreiro, Edna A. Reis, Danielle Maria de Souza Serio dos Santos, Luisa A. Chaves, Brian Godman, Stephen M. Campbell, Johanna C. Meyer and Isabella Piassi D. Godói ()
Additional contact information
Igor F. L. Ferraz: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Aluízio da Silva Gomes 50—Granja dos Cavaleiros, Macaé 27930-560, RJ, Brazil
Mariana C. Raimundo: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Aluízio da Silva Gomes 50—Granja dos Cavaleiros, Macaé 27930-560, RJ, Brazil
Natalia M. A. M. Barros: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Aluízio da Silva Gomes 50—Granja dos Cavaleiros, Macaé 27930-560, RJ, Brazil
Jhoyce S. Souza: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Aluízio da Silva Gomes 50—Granja dos Cavaleiros, Macaé 27930-560, RJ, Brazil
Barbará M. V. Lucio: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Aluízio da Silva Gomes 50—Granja dos Cavaleiros, Macaé 27930-560, RJ, Brazil
Thiago P. Tenreiro: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Aluízio da Silva Gomes 50—Granja dos Cavaleiros, Macaé 27930-560, RJ, Brazil
Edna A. Reis: Department of Statistics, Exact Sciences Institute, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Campus Pampulha, Avenida Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
Danielle Maria de Souza Serio dos Santos: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Aluízio da Silva Gomes 50—Granja dos Cavaleiros, Macaé 27930-560, RJ, Brazil
Luisa A. Chaves: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Aluízio da Silva Gomes 50—Granja dos Cavaleiros, Macaé 27930-560, RJ, Brazil
Brian Godman: Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XQ, UK
Stephen M. Campbell: Department of Public Health Pharmacy and Management, School of Pharmacy, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria 0208, South Africa
Johanna C. Meyer: Department of Public Health Pharmacy and Management, School of Pharmacy, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria 0208, South Africa
Isabella Piassi D. Godói: Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Avenida Aluízio da Silva Gomes 50—Granja dos Cavaleiros, Macaé 27930-560, RJ, Brazil

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 9, 1-18

Abstract: This study focuses on the Unified Health System (SUS) in five regions of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, one of Brazil’s most important states, as part of a comprehensive analysis of a research project, which has generated publications in earlier phases. The objective was to assess users’ perceptions of SUS in terms of access to and the quality of public health services, including primary care and pharmaceutical services. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire comprising 66 questions, administered to a purposive sample of 1000 participants between August 2023 and August 2024. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-square test with R software version 4.3. Among the participants, 54.5% were female, 62.5% were aged between 26 and 60 years, and 29% reported having private health insurance. Vaccination services were the most frequently used SUS service (25.1% of respondents). Participants who reported more frequent use of SUS services rated access more positively than those who used them less frequently ( p = 0.002). The regions that evaluated SUS access and quality most favorably were Middle Paraíba and the metropolitan region, while the Coastal Lowlands region received the most negative assessments. Participants with lower socioeconomic status gave more favorable evaluations of access to public health services ( p = 0.001). These findings highlight concerns about access to, and the quality of, SUS healthcare services and regional disparities in users’ perceptions of SUS services in Rio de Janeiro. The results underscore the importance of social participation as a key element in the evaluation and continuous improvement of responsive public healthcare.

Keywords: Brazil; access; quality; health services; users; public health; healthcare quality assessments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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